New Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson has his eyes set on upgrading a few key positions this offseason. Johnson has identified running back, offensive line, and defensive line, as units that need to be better in 2025.
The Bears’ priority is the interior offensive line. Chicago struggled to open up holes for runners and couldn’t keep a clean pocket for Caleb Williams, who was sacked a league-high 68 times during his rookie season. Chicago is expected to explore trading down from No. 10 to take an offensive lineman in April.
The Chicago Bears have Braxton Jones on the hot seat
Per Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda, the Bears are expected to use the bulk of their offensive resources to beef up the interior portion of the offensive line. Chicago believes Kiran Amegadjie will give starting left tackle Braxton Jones a run for his money during training camp.
“The team needs help at two if not three spots on the interior offensive line, depending on whether they choose to try and bring back Teven Jenkins, who is scheduled to be a UFA in March,” Pauline wrote. “I’m told the team has high expectations for Kiran Amegadjie, the third-round pick from Yale last year, and he is expected to challenge for the starting spot at left tackle this summer.”
Kiran Amegadjie was bad in 2024
Amegadjie missed OTAs and training camp in 2024 due to a quadriceps injury from his senior season at Yale that required surgery. Chicago didn’t plan to use him extensively in 2024 after missing the offseason, but a plethora of injuries to the offensive line forced the 23-year-old to play more than the Bears would have liked.
Amegadjie didn’t handle his assignments well, earning a 40.3 overall grade from Pro Football Focus. He was flagged five times in his 126 offensive snaps. He also missed more time in 2024 due to a calf injury.
The Bears have to hope Amegadjie will take an incredible leap in his second season to surpass Jones. Frankly, the difference between Jones and Amegadjie was vastly noticeable. The former Yale standout looked better positioned to be an offensive guard than left tackle.
The Bears would benefit from giving Jones competition for the starting left tackle spot. However, it’s surprising they think that competition wouldn’t come via the first round of the draft given how poorly Amegadjie played—not to mention his injury history.
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